Method of exhibiting the movements of orchestra conductors.



0L MESSTER. METHOD 0F EXHIBITING THE MOVEMENTS 0F ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORS.

APPLICATION FILED MAH. 25, I9I4.

Patented Dec. 3, HITS.

DEDIDDIEEICIUU DDDDUIJEDCIDD FM4@ o,/

, face. The musicians also OSAR MESSTER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

METHOD 0F EXHIBITING THE MOVEMENTS OF ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Application filed March 25, 1914. Serial N o. 827,023.

To lallez/'hom it may concern:

Bel it known that I, OsKAR MEssTER, a German subject, residing inBerlin, No. 32

Blcherstrass'e, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements inMethods of Exhibiting the Movements of Orchestra Conductors, of whichthe following is a specification.

The subject of my invention is a method of conducting an orchestrawithout a conductor being present in person.

y invention consists, broadly, in replacing the person of the conductorby cinematographic representation so that the musicians as well asthehearers-will see the so represented conductor as he would appear whenpersonally present, that is the cinemat ographic representations shallbe such that the representedconductor will have his back to the audienceand his face to the orchestra,

ythereby rendering the exhibition more realistic.

This is, necessary in order that the same effect be-obtained as theconductor in person produces in concert rooms. The invention 1simportant for the reproduction of the art of conducting possessed byfamous conductors, such art thus being enabled to be communicated to theremotestposterityn In a concert room my new method will insure aperfectly esthetic impression on the audience, as the conductor will berepresented at the usual place and in the usual manner, that is, withhis back to them so that they will not be inuenced by the expression ofhis will see him at the usual place and recognize at the picture thetempoindicated by the conductor and the signals given by him forstriking-in, intonation, &c.

An artistic moment will particularly be produced by the picture showingthe expression of the conductors facey in the same manner as if' he werepersonally present, a suggestive infiuence on the musicians being thusbrought about'to affect their playing.

f The members ofthe orchestra can, therefore,

`om the accompanying drawing in which- Figure l is a diagrammatic planof an arrangement adapted for producing the films synchronously.

- through, the

provided with the pictures of an orchestra conductor; Figs. 2, 3, and 4are diagrammatic views of a film thus produced and shown in differentstages of completion; Fig. sla represents the film ready for use; Fig. 5is a diagrammatic elevation of an arrangement for projecting the filmsthus obtained.

As shown in Fig. l, the conductor, indicated at a, iscinematographically taken in front and back views simultaneousl by meansof two cinematographs b, b1 fii'iven Both cinematographs are toloe-covered by screens c, 01, in order that they do not appear in thepictures produced. Their objectives, however, must remain uncovered forobvious reasons.

A film is used for each cinematograph and is passed in a horizontaldirection therepictures produced on it taking up half the width thereof,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Two rows of pictures, A and B, will thus beobtained, which are then `so copied, by means of a well-known process,

that a film having two adjacent rows of pictures A1, B1 will result, asshown in Fig. 4. One of such rows of pictures comprises the backrepresentations of the conductor, the other row the -frontrepresentations, the individual pictures, produced synchronously asstated, being so disposed on the film shown in Fig.,{4 that beside eachback picture there is the appertaining front picture of the conductor.In Fig. 4, the film is portrayed as being ready for use, B designatmgthe body of the film and C designating the l diiierentrpositions of theconductor. In order to show the pictures to the audience. and musiciansin the correct positions,

one of the cinematographic productions must be made by means of areflector or the like.

On reproduction the two rows of pictures are, by means of acinematograph Z dlsposed in the orchestra room, so projected on aprojection wall D, one of them lymg below the other, that on the lowerportion f of this wallthe pictures of that row will appear whichcomprises the front representatlons of the conductor, and the conductorwill apparently appear as usual to the members of theorchestra arrangedin a suitable or convenient manner below the screen g. To this end thefilm illustrated at Fig. 4 is passed in a horizontal direction throughthe apparatus. The portion f of Athat portion of the projection wall Dis not transparent,

le. v v 1,286.383

sicians and cannot disturb them therefore..

The front and back representations of the conductor can also be producedimmediately beside each other on the same film, by the use of particularreiectors and of only one cinematograph; then a positive film may beobtained by copying and be exhibited in the manner described. Twoseparate apparatus could alsoy be used to exhibit each a row ofpictures. In such case one of the cineinatographs is behind the audienceand is employed to reproduce the back representations of the conductor,While the other cinematograph, again placed in the orchestra room, ismerely used to show his front representations. In such case, of course,both cinematographs must be moved synchronously, and the portion f1 ofthe Wall D is not translucent. For such a. projection the picturesproduced may take up the Whole Width of each film. In order to observeexactly the tempo indicated by the conductor itwill be necessary thatthe apparatus used for taking the pictures and those employed for thereproduction thereof bev fitted With a device-Which Will insure aperfectly. equal motion of these apparatus.

\Recording tachometers may preferably be used to such end, or theapparatus may be connected to a needle instrument which is tocontinuously correspond to the motion of the seconds hand of a clockduring the said production and reproduction. The taking of the picturesis of course to be repeated if such indicating devices show differencesas regards velocity. l

It 1s to be understood that my invention is in no Wise restricted to theembodiments illustrated or referred to, but that modications may be madewithin the scope indicated by the appended claims, without departingfrom the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of this invention.

What I claim is l. The method ofexhibiting the movements of an orchestraconductor, which consists in first producing front and backcinematographic representations of the conductor, and thensimultaneously exhibiting the front representations to the orchestra andthe back representations to the audience.

2. The method ofA exhibiting the movements of an orchestra conductor,whichv consists in first simultaneously producing front and backcinematographic representations of the conductor, and thensimultaneously exhibiting the front representations to the orchestra andthe back representations to the. audience.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this twenty-sixth dayof February, 1914, in the presence of two subscrlbing Witnesses.

OSKAR MESSTER. Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER, WOLDE'MAR HAUPT.

